A MAN underwent 16 hours of surgery last night after his hand was chopped off following an argument in a Liverpool city centre restaurant about the size of his meal.

The detective leading the hunt for the attackers said he was appalled by the incident and described it as "absolutely unbelievable".

The 27-year-old, from Allerton, was attacked with a Samurai sword following an incident at the Shangri-La Chinese restaurant, on Victoria Street.

It happened after the man and a male friend were mocked by two other diners, a man and a woman, for ordering a starter but no main course.

The two men got into a heated row with the couple and left the restaurant.

But they were later confronted on Whitechapel by two men armed with a baseball bat and samurai sword.

The baseball bat-wielding thug, whom they recognised as the male diner who had mocked them, chased one of the men but failed to catch him.

But the 27-year-old, who was left to face the man with the sword, was later found near Yates' Bar, on Roe Street, with his right hand sliced off.

The injured man, who has not been named, was taken to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and later transferred to nearby Whiston Hospital for micro-surgery.

Detective Chief Inspector John Colligan, who is leading the hunt for the attackers, said: "The male with the samurai sword was clearly not in the restaurant. The male with the baseball bat was the man who was involved in the argument in the restaurant and we believe that he summoned assistance, in a cowardly way, from a friend.

"To actually come out with a samurai sword, is from my point of view, in my experience, absolutely unbelievable."

Merseyside Police are inspecting closed circuit TV tapes for evidence and are appealing for information. The male from the restaurant is described as white and in his 20s.

He was wearing a dark, possibly navy, Lacoste tracksuit with a white shirt. His companion was in her 20s, of mixed race, with shoulder-length hair, wearing a red top.

Three men are believed to have come to the aid of the injured man, and police are appealing for these witnesses to contact them.

Violent crime in the city centre has risen drastically in recent years. The number of incidents exceeded 1,500 in the last 12 months, a rise of 250 incidents on the figure two years ago.

But a spokesman for City Safe, Liverpool's community safety partnership, last night tried to allay fears that the city was becoming a crime hotspot.

He said: "This is clearly a serious attack but it is an isolated one because Liverpool is, according to recent official statistics, the second safest city in the country and more is being done to make it even safer through CCTV and extra police."

Angie Ho, whose husband owns the Shangri-La, last night said she asked the two men to leave the restaurant after the argument started: "We do not want people arguing and disturbing other customers who are trying to enjoy a meal.

"I said it was private property and they must go outside to fight. It was not our problem. They agreed and paid the bill."

A spokeswoman for Whiston Hospital last night described the man's condition as stable as he recovered in intensive care. Anyone with information about the incident, which took place on Monday, is urged to contact St Anne Street police station on 0151-777 4077.